Have you purchased body lotion lately?  In the old days, I remember Vaseline Intensive Care lotion in the light yellow plastic pump bottle.  There weren’t many choices beyond that.  Today there is a whole section in the store stocked with body lotion choices.  Some of them list ingredients that sound good enough to eat:  Cocoa butter, almond oil, avocado seed oil, and even olive oil.  Other greasy moisturizers include shea butter, vitamin E, aloe, and baby oil.

Oils were very important in biblical times.  Olive oil, especially, could be used for baking, as a spread on bread, as a gift, fuel for lamps, for anointing, for offerings and sacrifices, as well as for healing.  Anointing with oil was common on joyous occasion.  I can only imagine the value of olive oil on a hot, tired body.  Back then people did not and could not hop into a nice hot shower every day.  Lord knows how long they sometimes went without bathing.  After several days or weeks in the hot dusty climate of the Middle East, I am sure your skin got pretty scratchy and crusty from the heat and dirt.  Imagine what pleasure it brought to have the dust rinsed off your feet and then to have olive oil rubbed in.  Mmm –Mmmm.  Somebody massage my feet please!  The oil probably softened dry skin and helped control hair that had been dried and frizzed by the scorching sun.

Some of you who know me really well may be aware of my search in the bible for humor.  I want to see and hear Jesus laugh!  I mean – I don’t think he walked around all calm and pious, speaking in heavenly monotone and gliding slowing as if on a cloud.  I think there were times He laughed out loud at his dear naïve disciples as He tried to get them to understand something.  I can picture Him explaining to followers through His parables and suppressing a smile, almost tongue-in-cheek, while using simple and familiar examples to clarify His point.

As I believe that the bible is God’s inspired word, I must share some words from Hebrews that made me laugh – and will bring this whole olive oil story full circle!

Hebrew 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

That just made me giggle!  Keeping in mind how wonderful it was for believers back then to enjoy a little rub down with olive oil, well how about being doused with joy?  It makes for a fun picture.  Imagine having this tickle of joy splash you in the face and send itself to the tips of your fingers and the ends of your toes?  I want some of that oil!  Rub some on and feel the joy.

Oh Lordy if I could make and bottle some of that I’d be rich!  I wonder if it would work on salads, too.  “Would you like Ranch, Italian, or our house dressing – a raspberry vinaigrette made with Joy Oil?”

Oh no – don’t get me started!  Joy oil with raspberries????

Have a joyous day.

just Laurel